Poetry success for Iraqi student
A poem written by a former Iraqi academic who is currently studying for a PhD in English Literature at the University of Chichester made the shortlist of the National Poetry Anthology.
Waleed Al-Bazoon, a father-of-four currently living in Bognor Regis, joined the University in July 2009 as part of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) scholarship scheme. His PhD is specialising in literary responses to 9/11.
‘Idigna’ was one of tens of thousands of entries and although it didn’t make it through to the final book the publishers, United Press Limited, have chosen to publish the poem in its next work called Book of Dream which is a showcase of a group of poets.
Waleed said: “I am delighted that my poem has been chosen for this new book of poetry. The poem was inspired by a real incident in the years after 2003. One day people walked crossing the Bridge of Al-Uma to visit the shrine of Mosa al-kadum, one of the prophets descendants buried in Baghdad. A terrorist cried out that there was a bomb on the bridge which caused all the people to throw themselves in the water of the Tigris, dying. It refers to the suffering of Iraqis in Iraq, where there is still no stable security.”
Book of Dreams can be ordered at all good bookshops and copies are available at the British Library and libraries across the UK.
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